Outdoor fire pit and post holder

ABSTRACT

A fire pit includes a main body having a double outer wall that defines an air inlet. An accessory support post is received by the main body within the double outer wall. A locking projection and locking flange cooperate to lock the vertical and rotational position of the support post with respect to the main body of the fire pit. A floating fire box is supported from above by a grilling flange that allows the fire box to move down when heated. The accessory post can be used with a post holder next to a camp fire. The post holder and accessory post use of the locking projection and locking flange to secure the accessory post with respect to the holder. A grill having an outer body member protects the user&#39;s finger from engaging sharp edges of an expanded metal grill.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/994,237 filed Aug. 14, 2020, which application claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Applications 62/888,202 filed Aug. 16, 2019,62/890,417 filed Aug. 22, 2019, 62/985,114 filed Mar. 4, 2020, and63/001,970 filed Mar. 30, 2020; the disclosures of each are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 1. Technical Field

The disclosure generally relates to devices used to contain fires andcook over fires. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an outdoorfire containment device commonly known as a fire pit and to a holder foran accessory post that allows accessories such as grills and kettles tobe used over a fire. Specifically, the disclosure relates to the airinlet configurations for the fire pit, the configuration of the grillsupport post, the configuration of the grill carried by the grillsupport post, a holder for the grill support post, and the configurationof the legs for the fire pit.

2. Background Information

People enjoy burning small camp fires in their backyards. These firesare used for general enjoyment and for cooking. One drawback with abackyard campfire—especially one made from a soft wood or a woodcontaining water—is the smoke generated from the fire. The smoke caninfiltrate the owner's house and neighbors' houses. This problem has ledsome cities and communities to completely ban backyard campfires.Another issue is positioning a grill or container at the proper locationabove the flames for cooking a particular food. Some people use firepits to control and contain their camp fires. In some communities, theuse of a fire ring or fire pit is mandatory. A popular fire pitconfiguration has an airflow chamber between the exterior walls of themain body wherein air is heated before being introduced at the top ofthe burn box. This helps to reduce smoke produced by the fire. Althoughvarious versions of the reduced smoke fire pit are known, there remainsroom for improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure provides a fire pit device for containing a camp fire.The fire pit includes a main body having a double outer wall thatdefines an air inlet. An accessory support post is received by the mainbody within the double outer wall. A locking projection and lockingflange cooperate to lock the vertical and rotational position of thesupport post with respect to the main body of the fire pit. Thedisclosure also provides a method for locking an accessory post to thebody of a fire pit.

The disclosure provides a fire pit having a body having a bottom walland a sidewall that define a fire box; the fire box adapted to receivefuel that will be burned when the fire pit is used; the sidewalldefining an air supply duct for the fire box; the sidewall having aninner sidewall spaced inwardly from an outer sidewall with the airsupply duct defined between the inner and outer sidewalls; an accessorypost having an upper portion and a lower portion; the lower portionbeing selectively connected to the body; and a locking assembly havinglocked and unlocked conditions; in the locked condition, the lockingassembly preventing the accessory post from rotating with respect to thebody and preventing the accessory post from being removed from the body.

The disclosure provide a fire pit having a body having a bottom wall anda sidewall that define a fire box; the fire box adapted to receive fuelthat will be burned when the fire pit is used; the sidewall defining anair supply duct for the fire box; the sidewall having an inner sidewallspaced inwardly from an outer sidewall with the air supply duct definedbetween the inner and outer sidewalls; and an accessory post having anupper portion and a lower portion; the lower portion being disposedbetween the inner and outer sidewalls; the upper portion disposed abovethe sidewall.

The disclosure provides a post holder and method for securing theaccessory post in the ground next to another fire source. The device andmethod also include the use of the locking projection and locking flangeto secure the accessory post with respect to the holder. The post holderand method allows the owner of the accessory post and grill to use thesewith other camp fires without the need to bring the entire fire pitdevice along.

The disclosure provides a method for supporting a cooking device such asa grill or kettle hanger above a fire site. The method includes thesteps of embedding a holder into the ground next to the fire site;sliding a lower portion of an accessory post into the holder; andlocking the accessory post to the holder against rotation and removal.The method also the step of repeatedly impacting the holder with anupper portion of the accessory post by sliding it within the holdertube. This method allows the device to be installed without the need tocarry additional tools to embed the holder into the ground.

The disclosure also provides a fire pit device wherein air inlets areprovided in the bottom of the main body where the fuel for the fire issupported and the ashes produced by the fire collect. The fire pitincludes air inlet channels that define raised air inlets that limitclogging by the ash while evenly distributing the inlet air under thefire.

The disclosure further provides a main body having a double outer wallthat defines an air inlet for the fire pit. The main body is supportedabove the ground by a plurality of legs. The legs extend up along theentire height of the double outer wall to abut the underside of anoverhanging flange to stiffen the main body of the fire pit.

The disclosure further provides an interior fire box portion of the mainbody that is provided in a floating configuration suspended from theupper flange of the device. The floating configuration allows theinterior fire box to move down when the device is in use causing theupper flange to tilt inwardly. This is beneficial when the upper surfaceof the flange is used as a grilling surface because cooking juices flowback into the firebox inside of onto the surface supporting the firepit.

The disclosure further provides the configuration for a grill that canbe carried by a post above a fire. The grill includes an outer bodymember that encloses the outer edge of the grill to provide safety, toincrease the strength of the grill, and to provide a retention lip tothe grill. In the exemplary configuration, the outer body member iscircular in cross section and receives the outer edge of the expandedmetal grill at its centerline.

The individual features may be combined in different combinations thanspecifically described below to form different configurations of thedevice of the disclosure. The preceding non-limiting aspects of thedisclosure, as well as others, are more particularly described below. Amore complete understanding of the devices, assemblies, and methods canbe obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, which are notintended to indicate relative size and dimensions of the assemblies. Inthose drawings and the description below, like numeric designationsrefer to components of like function. Specific terms used in thatdescription are intended to refer only to the particular structure ofthe embodiments selected for illustration in the drawings, and are notintended to define or limit the scope of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary configuration of the firepit.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the fire pit of FIG. 1 with the grillremoved.

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing an initial step of installingthe support post.

FIG. 5 depicts another step of installing the support post.

FIG. 6 depicts another step of installing the support post.

FIG. 7 is a section view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the fire pit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the fire pit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a section view similar to FIG. 7 showing the grilling flangetilted downwardly.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an exemplary post holder beinginstalled next to a camp fire location.

FIG. 12 depicts the post holder being driven into the ground by theaccessory post.

FIG. 13 depicts the post holder driven into the ground.

FIG. 14 depicts the removal of the accessory post.

FIG. 15 depicts the rotation of the accessory post.

FIG. 16 depicts the insertion of the accessory post into the holder to alocation where the locking projections engage the locking flanges of thepost holder to stop the insertion of the accessory post.

FIG. 17 depicts the rotated condition of the accessory post to place thelocking projections in the locking slots and the installation of thelock collar.

FIG. 18 depicts the lock collar installed with the lock fingers blockingmovement of the locking projections.

FIG. 19 depicts the use of a cooking grill with the accessory postsecured by the post holder.

FIG. 20 depicts the addition of a kettle hook above the cooking grill.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an alternative configuration for acooking grill.

FIG. 22 is a section view taken through the grill of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged section view of the encircled portion of FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

An exemplary configuration of a fire pit device of the disclosure isindicated generally by the numeral 2 in the accompany drawings. Device 2generally includes a main body 4 supported above the ground by aplurality of legs 6. An overhanging grilling flange 8 is disposed aboutthe top of main body 4. Flange 8 may be used to support cooking tools,grills, or as a protective bumper. Flange 8 can be made from 304stainless steel to also function as a grilling surface itself. Device 2provides a safe and convenient place for one to burn a small fire thatcan be used for cooking or general enjoyment. The fire is burned in thefire box cavity defined by main body 4. Device 2 may be made from any ofa variety of fire-resistant materials. Main body 4 can be fabricatedfrom steel and protected with a heat-resistant paint.

Device 2 is configured to reduce the amount of smoke produced by thefire burning in main body 4. The reduction in smoke is achieved bysupplying heated combustion air to the top of the fire. This air issupplied through a plurality of upper air supply openings 10 defined bymain body 4 adjacent the upper end of main body 4. Openings 10 mayextend about the entire circumference of body 4. Air is supplied toupper air supply openings 10 through an air supply duct 14 that extendsfrom an inlet disposed adjacent the lower end of main body 4 to openings10. In the exemplary configuration, duct 14 is defined by inner 16 andouter 18 concentric sidewalls of main body 4. In one configuration ofdevice 2, air supply duct 14 is disposed about the entire circumferenceof main body 4 with only a plurality of supports 20 interrupting the airflow through duct 14. Supports 20 are aligned with legs 6 and extendfrom the bottom wall 22 of main body 4 out to outer concentric wall 18.Supports 20 maintain the spacing between walls 16 and 18 but allow innersidewall 16 to move up and down with respect to outer sidewall 18. Inanother configuration, duct 14 may be divided into a plurality ofadjacent or spaced ducts. Positioning air duct 14 along the sidewall ofmain body 4 allows the air flowing up through duct 14 to be heatedbefore it exits duct 14 to aid the combustion.

The lower ends of sidewalls 16 and 18 are spaced and not connected todefine the inlet of duct 14. The upper ends of sidewalls 16 and 18 arejoined together by flange 8 so that openings 10 define the outlet ofduct 14. In another configuration, the lower ends of walls 16 and 18 arejoined and a plurality of inlets are defined. When a fire is burning inmain body 4, inner sidewall 16 is heated to draw air into the inletwhere it is warmed. The warmed air rises within duct 14 and exitsthrough openings 10 to the top of the fire. Flange 8 projects radiallyinwardly over the openings 10 to form a lip that helps to direct airfrom openings 10 toward the middle of the fire. The warmed air assiststhe combustion and thus reduces the amount of smoke produced by thefire. When cool, flange 8 can be tilted inwardly slightly such that itsinner edge is lower than its outer edge. When device 2 is in use and thefire box is loaded with fuel and the elements of device are hot, thefire box defined by inner wall 16 and bottom wall 22 move downwardlycausing flange 8 to tilt downwardly more as shown in FIG. 10. The weightof the fuel and the fire box provide a downwardly force. When cool, theinner edge of flange 8 is either the same height or only about ⅛ inchlower than the outer edge of flange 8 but when device 2 is in use andhot, the inner edge can move down to be ¾ inch lower than the outer edgeof flange 8. This movement helps drain grilling juices inwardly insteadof out over the outer sidewall 18 and onto the ground supporting device2. One configuration has an inner flange opening of nineteen inches withan outer flange diameter of twenty-three and a half inches to provide asearing surface on flange 8 of 130 square inches. This configuration isfifteen inches tall. Another configuration has an inner flange openingof twenty-four inches with an outer flange diameter of twenty-nine and ahalf inches to provide a searing surface on flange 8 of 230 squareinches. This configuration is also fifteen inches tall.

Main body 4 is provided in the form of a cylindrical cup with innersidewall 16 forming a right angle with the bottom wall 22 of main body4. The height of main body 4 is about half of the diameter with the lipformed by flange 8 extending inwardly about a half inch to three inches.In one configuration, the height of main body 4 is eight to eighteeninches with the diameter being eighteen inches to thirty-six inches.These dimensions have been found to provide desirable results with theair supplied through openings 10 being radially close enough to thecenter of the fire to reducing the amount of smoke produced by the fire.

Each leg 6 has a lower portion that extends below bottom wall 22 and anupper portion that extends along outer wall 18 to engage the undersideof flange 8. Legs 6 position bottom wall 22 above the ground and stiffenmain body 4. Legs 6 also maintain the centered position of the fire boxby engaging inner sidewall 16 and allowing it to slide up and down alonglegs 6. Each leg 6 includes an outer leg wall 24 and leg sidewalls 26which all extend from under flange 8 to the bottom end of leg 6. Legsidewalls 26 can be welded to outer sidewall 18. As an alternative or inaddition to welding, a plurality of tabs 27 project from each legsidewall 26 through outer sidewall 18 where they can be bent to hold leg6 in place, welded, or bent and welded. Tabs 27 can be press fit or snapfit through the openings defined to receive them. Each leg 6 alsoincludes a foot wall 28 that projects radially inwardly from the lowerend of outer leg wall 24. Foot wall 28 engages the ground upon whichdevice 2 is disposed. An inner leg wall 30 projects upwardly from theinner end of foot wall 28. Inner leg wall 30 limits the collection ofdirt, sand, or gravel on top of foot wall 28 and stiffens leg 6. Legs 6can be formed from a single integral piece of material or from aplurality of pieces welded together.

The lower portion of each leg sidewall 26 is enlarged to at least matchthe leg depth defined by foot wall 28. These lower portions can beintegrally formed with leg sidewalls 26 or can be formed by attachingadditional lateral leg walls 32. A slot 34 is defined at the upperjunction of each lateral leg wall 32 and each leg sidewall 26. The loweredge of outer sidewall 18 is received in slot 34 to further connect leg6 to main body 4 and to stiffen device 2. In another configuration,lateral leg walls 32 define slots for each of outer sidewall 18 andinner sidewall 16. As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the inner edges 33 of lateralleg walls 32 engage inner sidewall 16 but do not support it from belowsuch that inner sidewall 16 and bottom wall 22 can move downwardly whendevice 2 is in use.

An air inlet assembly 40 is carried by bottom wall 22 inside main body4. Air inlet assembly 40 evenly distributes inlet air to the fire whilelimiting clogging from ash. Air inlet assembly 40 includes a pluralityof open arms 42 that radially extend outwardly from a central joint. Theouter end of each arm 42 is open to define first air inlets 44. Thesefirst air inlets 44 have the same width and height as the openingsdefined by open arms 42. These first air inlets 44 are substantiallyparallel (they directly face) the lower end of inner sidewall 16. Firstair inlets 44 are closer to inner sidewall 16 than the width of open arm42. These first air inlets 44 thus distribute inlet air to the outerperimeter of the fire. Spaced second air inlets 46 are defined along thelength of the top portion of each open arm 42. Second air inlets 46 areraised up above the upper surface of bottom wall 22 to limit clogging byash formed by burning fuel. Each second air inlet 46 is formed bybending a portion of the sidewall of open arm 42 upwardly which providesan overhang 48 to limit the entrance of ash into open arms 42. Theplurality of second air inlets 46 evenly distribute inlet air below thefire. Air openings 50 and 52 are defined by bottom wall 22 to deliverair from below device 2 into assembly 40. The air is pulled under andalong the heated assembly 40 so that it is preheated before being usedin the combustion.

An accessory post 60 can be selectively carried by and removed from mainbody 4. Accessory post 60 can be used to support a cooking grill 62 or ahook for a hanging pot or for supporting a pot and winch assembly. Whenusing accessories such as grill 62, it is desired that accessory post 60is locked in place and does not rotate with respect to main body 4. Inthis configuration, the bottom portion of accessory post is insertedthrough flange 8 and into a post support sleeve 63 secured to main body4 inside air supply duct 14 at the location of one of legs 6. Sleeve 63receives post 60 in a sliding relationship that allows post to slide inand out of sleeve 63, but limits lateral movement. The lower end ofaccessory post 60 is disposed inside sleeve 63, extends below sleeve 63,or extends all the way down and engages support 20 or a portion of leg6. When locked in place, one or more locking projections 64 engage oneor both of sidewalls 16 and 18 to lock the rotational position of post60 with respect to main body 4. Locking projections 64 sit on top ofsleeve 63. Locking projection 64 is also disposed under flange 8 so post60 cannot be unintentionally lifted while in use.

In this configuration, locking projections 64 are provided by a pin ordowel disposed through post 60. Locking projections 64 also can beformed by welding tabs to the exterior of post 60. The top of sleeve 63is spaced down far enough from the lower surface of flange 8 to provideroom for locking projections 64 to ride on the upper end of sleeve 63.Flange 8 defines a post opening 66 that includes open ears 68 sized toallow locking projections 64 to pass through flange 8. The user insertspost 60 into opening 66 with locking projections 64 aligned with ears 68as shown in FIG. 4. Post 60 is moved downwardly until lockingprojections 64 engage the top of sleeve 63. The user then rotates post60 one direction or the other as shown in FIG. 5 until one or both oflocking projections 64 engages sidewalls 16 and 18. A lock collar 70 isslidably carried on post 60 above locking projections 64. Lock collar 70has two locking fingers 72 that project down along post 60. When lockingprojections 64 are under flange 8 and rotated into engagement withsidewalls 16 and 18, lock collar 70 is slid down onto flange 8 toposition locking fingers 72 through open ears 68 in alignment withlocking projections 64 to prevent post 60 from rotating back to aposition where locking projections 64 are aligned with ears 68. Lockcollar 70 includes a handle 74 that projects rearwardly behind post 60to keep it cooler so post 60 can be unlocked and removed after cooking.

Grill 62 includes its own handle 80 and locking screw 82 that allows itto be selectively locked and rotated with respect to post 60.

In some situations, the owner of accessory post 60 and cooking grill 62desire to use these with a camp fire that is not built inside device 2.For example, the owner may be camping at a remote location where it isinconvenient to bring along device 2. The disclosure provides anexemplary post holder 102 that secures accessory post 60 in the ground104 next to a camp fire location 106 so that cooking grill 62 and/or akettle hook 108 can be used to prepare food. Driving accessory post 60directly into ground 104 can yield a wobbly arrangement especially whenrelatively heavy items are placed on cooking grill 62 which iscantilevered over the fire.

Post holder 102 generally includes a hollow main tube 110 with a pointedlower end 112 that allows it to be driven into ground 104. Main tube 110is sized to slidingly receive accessory post 60. Pointed lower end 112is closed to prevent dirt from filling main tube 110 when post holder isdriven into ground 104. Post holder 102 also includes at least onestabilizing arm 114 projecting away from the upper portion of main tube110. One to four arms 114 can be used. Two stabilizing arms 114 aredepicted in the exemplary configuration. Each stabilizing arm 114engages ground 104 when post holder 102 is fully driven into ground 104.Stabilizing arms 114 can include downwardly projecting anchors 116 thathelp stabilizing arms 114 be driven into ground 104. Anchors 116 can belocated at the outer ends of arms 114.

Post holder 102 includes a pair of locking flanges 120 that each definean L-shaped locking slot 122 sized to receive one of locking projections64 that project from accessory post 60. Locking slots 122 project inopposite directions and are aligned with the top of main tube 110 suchthat locking projections engage the top of main tube 110 and the bottomof locking slots 122 when accessory post 60 is fully inserted into postholder 102. Each flange 120 can define a recess open to the bottom ofslot 122 sized to receive the end of a locking finger 72 such that eachlocking finger 72 will be disposed below locking projection 64 when lockcollar 70 is fully seated. When accessory post 60 is fully inserted intopost holder 102, locking projections 64 are disposed in locking slots122 and are held at the ends of slots 122 by locking fingers 72 of lockcollar 70 which is carried by accessory post 60. An optional stop 130can be provided on accessory post 60 to limit the movement of lockcollar 70.

Post holder 102 is used by driving it into ground 104 at a location nextto the fire over which grill 62 will be used. Post holder 102 isconfigured to be driven into ground 104 by accessory post 60. First, theuser locates post holder 102 and pushes it into ground 104 as far as itcan be pushed into ground 104 by hand. The user then turns accessorypost 60 upside down as shown in FIG. 11. The user then repeatedly drivesaccessory post 60 down inside main tube 110 until it engages the closedend of post holder 102 as shown in FIG. 12. The user continues to slideaccessory post up and down striking the bottom of main tube 110 to drivepost holder 102 into ground 104 until stabilizing arms 114 are driveninto ground 104 as shown in FIG. 13. Accessory post 60 is then removedand turned over as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. The user then slidesaccessory post 60 down into main tube 110 with locking projection 64aligned with slots 122 until locking projections 64 engage lockingflanges 120 or the top of main tube 110. The user then rotates accessorypost 60 as shown by reference arrow 132 in FIG. 16 to position lockingprojections 64 at the ends of locking slots 122. The user then moveslock collar 70 down until locking fingers 72 slide into the verticalportions of locking slots 122 to block movement of locking projections64 as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18. The user then connects grill 62 andkettle hook 108 to accessory post 60 where they are ready to use forcooking.

An alternative configuration for a cooking grill is depicted in FIGS.21-23 and indicated by the reference number 162. Grill 162 includes agrilling grate 164 that defines a plurality of openings. Grilling grate164 can be formed in a variety of ways such as a welded grid of bars butmany of these grilling grates are formed from sections of expandedmetal. The round sections of expanded metal are cut from larger pieceswhich leaves a plurality of sharp metal ends about the perimeter.Although these metal ends can be ground smooth and disposed under a rimas depicted in FIG. 9, the user still contacts these ends when grill 62is lifted by grasping its perimeter. Cooking grill 162 eliminates theneed to grind the metal ends down to smooth ends. Cooking grill 162provides an outer body member 166 that surrounds the outer perimeteredge of grilling grate 164 and prevents the users from contacting theouter perimeter edge of grilling grate 164 from both above and below.The protection can be understood by viewing FIG. 23. When one liftsgrill 162 by grasping outer body member 166 with the user's hands, thehands cannot contact the sharp metal ends disposed inside outer bodymember 166. Outer body member 166 projects above the upper surface ofgrilling grate 164 to provide a retention lip to grate 164 to helpretain items on grate 164.

In addition to protecting the user from the sharp metal ends of grillinggrate 164, outer body member 166 also strengthens grill 162 and helpsgrill 162 resist bending forces. In the exemplary configuration, outerbody member 166 is ⅝ inch outer diameter round pipe provided by metalformed for a pipe but without the seam welded. This is bent into thecircular shape and fitted around the outer perimeter of grilling grate164 and then welded closed and welded to grate 164. Other sizes from ⅜inch to 1½ inch can also be used. Other cross sectional shapes also canbe used. Outer body member 166 supports the outer perimeter edge ofgrate 164 from below and stiffens grate 164.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued. Moreover, the above description and attached illustrationsare an example and the invention is not limited to the exact detailsshown or described. Throughout the description and claims of thisspecification the words “comprise” and “include” as well as variationsof those words, such as “comprises,” “includes,” “comprising,” and“including” are not intended to exclude additives, components, integers,or steps.

1. A fire pit comprising: a body having a bottom wall and a sidewallthat define a fire box; the fire box adapted to receive items to beburned when the fire pit is used; the bottom wall defining an airopening; an elongated air inlet arm connected to the bottom wall; theair inlet arm being hollow and disposed over the air opening; the airinlet arm having first and second ends; the air inlet arm having a topportion that defines air inlets for the fire box along the air inlet armbetween the first and second ends; and the air inlets being spaced abovethe bottom wall.
 2. The fire pit of claim 1, wherein the air inlet armincludes an overhang disposed above each air inlet defined by the topportion of the air inlet arm.
 3. The fire pit of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the first and second ends of the air inlet arm is open. 4.The fire pit of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of legs adaptedto support the bottom wall above a support surface when the fire pit isplaced on the support surface.
 5. The fire pit of claim 1, furthercomprising an air duct positioned along the sidewall to deliver heatedair to the fire box; the air duct having an air supply opening at thetop of the fire box.
 6. The fire pit of claim 5, further comprising aflange at the top of the sidewall the flange having a portion thatoverhangs the fire pit.
 7. The fire pit of claim 5, further comprisingan accessory post having an upper portion and a lower portion; the lowerportion of the accessory post being located in the air duct when theaccessory post is connected to the fire pit.
 8. The fire pit of claim 1,wherein the air inlet arm has first and second sides; the top portion ofthe air inlet arm defining air inlets for the fire box on both of thefirst and second sides of the air inlet arm.
 9. The fire pit of claim 8,wherein the air inlet arm has a flat top wall that partially defines thetop portion of the air inlet arm.
 10. The fire pit of claim 8, whereinthe width of the air inlet arm is defined between the first and secondsides; and the second end of the air inlet arm defining an air inletspaced from the sidewall by a distance that is less a width of the airinlet arm.
 11. A fire pit comprising: a body having a bottom wall and asidewall that define a fire box; the fire box adapted to receive itemsto be burned when the fire pit is used; the bottom wall defining aplurality of air openings; a plurality of hollow air inlet armsconnected to the bottom wall over the air openings; each of the airinlet arms having first and second ends; each of the air inlet armshaving a top portion that defines air inlets for the fire box along theair inlet arm between the first and second ends; and the air inletsbeing spaced above the bottom wall.
 12. The fire pit of claim 11,wherein each of the air inlet arms include overhangs disposed above theair inlets.
 13. The fire pit of claim 11, wherein each of the air inletarms has at least one open first and second end.
 14. The fire pit ofclaim 11, further comprising a plurality of legs adapted to support thebottom wall above a support surface when the fire pit is placed on thesupport surface.
 15. The fire pit of claim 11, further comprising an airduct positioned along the sidewall to deliver heated air to the firebox; the air duct having an air supply opening at the top of the firebox.
 16. The fire pit of claim 15, further comprising a flange at thetop of the sidewall the flange having a portion that overhangs the firepit.
 17. The fire pit of claim 15, further comprising an accessory posthaving an upper portion and a lower portion; the lower portion of theaccessory post being located in the air duct when the accessory post isconnected to the fire pit.
 18. The fire pit of claim 11, wherein each ofthe air inlet arms has first and second sides; the top portion of eachof the air inlet arms defining air inlets for the fire box on both ofthe first and second sides of the air inlet arm.
 19. The fire pit ofclaim 18, wherein each of the air inlet arms has a flat top wall thatpartially defines the top portion of the air inlet arm.
 20. The fire pitof claim 11, wherein the air inlet arms are arranged to extend radiallyoutwardly from a central point of the bottom wall.
 21. The fire pit ofclaim 20, wherein the first ends of the air inlet arms are connected.22. A fire pit comprising: a body having a bottom wall and a sidewallthat define a fire box; the fire box adapted to receive items to beburned when the fire pit is used; the bottom wall defining a pluralityof air openings; a plurality of legs adapted to support the bottom wallabove a support surface when the fire pit is placed on the supportsurface; a plurality of hollow air inlet arms connected to the bottomwall over the air openings; the plurality of air inlet arms beingarranged to extend radially with respect to the bottom wall; each of theair inlet arms having first and second sides; the top portion of each ofthe air inlet arms defining air inlets for the fire box on both thefirst and second sides of the air inlet arm; the air inlets being spacedabove the bottom wall; and each of the air inlet arms includingoverhangs disposed above the air inlets.
 23. The fire pit of claim 22,further comprising an air duct positioned along the sidewall to deliverheated air to the fire box; the air duct having an air supply opening atthe top of the fire box.
 24. The fire pit of claim 23, furthercomprising a flange at the top of the sidewall the flange having aportion that overhangs the fire pit.
 25. The fire pit of claim 23,further comprising an accessory post having an upper portion and a lowerportion; the lower portion of the accessory post being located in theair duct when the accessory post is connected to the fire pit.
 26. Thefire pit of claim 22, wherein each air inlet arm has an inner end and anouter end; the inner ends of the air inlet arms being connected.
 27. Afire pit comprising: a body having a bottom wall and a sidewall thatdefine a fire box; the fire box adapted to receive items to be burnedwhen the fire pit is used; the bottom wall defining an air opening; anelongated air inlet arm connected to the bottom wall; the air inlet armbeing hollow and disposed over the air opening; the air inlet arm havingfirst and second sides; the top portion of the air inlet arm definingair inlets for the fire box on both of the first and second sides of theair inlet arm; the air inlet arm having an overhang for each of the airinlets; and each of the air inlets being spaced above the bottom wall bya portion of one of the first and second sides.